Storm debris pickup should be complete in Wilmington by Christmas

City officials more than 1.3 million cubic yards of storm debris has been picked up after Hurricane Florence. (Source: City of Wilmington)

December 4, 2018 at 4:45 PM EST - Updated December 4 at 10:16 PM

WILMINGTON, NC (WECT) - The City of Wilmington said Tuesday that final pickup of debris left by Hurricane Florence should be complete before Christmas.

According to a news release, the city's contractor expects to complete pickup of construction/demolition debris this week. Final cleanup of isolated and missed piles will continue and city officials estimate all eligible storm debris should be removed before Christmas.

Vegetative debris set out for collection must meet the city's collection limit of seven cubic yards or less. Loose material like grass, leaves and pine straw must be placed in containers or bags.

Storm-related debris is all that will be picked up by contractors with tractor trailer trucks. Those crews will not collect debris piles with freshly cut trees and branches in them.

Regular city crews have resumed weekly pickup of yard waste.

At Tuesday night’s Wilmington City Council meeting, an additional $2.9 million was allotted for hurricane recovery efforts and as is the case with the more than $21 million already approved, most of that will go toward debris removal efforts.

Any city customer who thinks their debris pile has been missed should call 910-341-7875.